1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting at gym in upscale Florida mall

Cannes, May 22 (PTI) Sonam Kapoor showed off her another iconic look from Cannes fashion diaries as the actress slayed the gala’s red carpet in a striking Elie Saab ensemble. This is 31-year-old actress’ seventh year at the French Riveria and she made sure that her outfit stood out from the rest. The diva appeared […]

1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting at gym in upscale Florida mall

Coral Gables (US), Apr 9 (AP) Gunfire erupted during a dispute between a former gym employee and a manager, leaving one person dead and two others seriously wounded at an upscale shopping mall, police said.

The shooting at the Equinox gym yesterday shuttered the Shops at Merrick Park for the day while investigators talked to witnesses and pieced together what happened. Police did not say who opened fire, or who was wounded and who was killed.

The mall is within a couple miles of the University of Miami campus. Former Miami baseball standout Javy Rodriguez said he was inside the gym when the shots started, writing on Facebook that he ran to safety.

“Equinox workers did an amazing job of calmly … getting the rest out of there,” Rodriguez said.

Equinox’s corporate offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Coral Gables police officer patrolling the mall was told by a security officer shortly before 1 pm that shots had been fired, said Coral Gables Chief of Police Ed Hudak. A mall security system was activated and people in other stores and restaurants were told to remain inside or escorted to safety.

“The system worked exactly as it should have,” Hudak said.

At Yard House, a restaurant inside the mall, many patrons were outside dining or waiting for their lunches when police told restaurant employees to get everyone inside.

“So that’s exactly what we did,” said Tim Hartog, the restaurant’s general manager. “It was never chaotic. We’re trained to do these things.”

Hartog said employees were allowed to clean and shut down the restaurant for the day, and were told to go home afterward. He said the mall was closed until today.

More than a dozen police cars and firetrucks were outside the mall for hours after the shooting. Employees of other stores and restaurants were seen leaving about an hour after the shooting, once the scene was secure. (AP) ARK